A young man brimming with confidence and sure of a bright future: this is Beethoven at the time of creating his first string quartets. His opus 18 no 4 is quicksilver in its variety of moods and characters, thoroughly conveying both technical mastery and compelling artistic personality.

Seventy years later, Brahms displayed a devotion to chamber music that went against the spirit of his times. But like an artist who works in mezzotint rather than forging grand canvases, Brahms some of the most sublime and intimate creations that the world had ever heard. His first string quartet is the glorious flowering of his cultivated technique and searching artistry.

These masterworks are complemented by a new work from young Australian composer Kate Moore, also inspired by a fascination with the natural world.